[SdianeM M]

I have been researching a lot and it sounds as though a raw diet would help my pup with yeast issues.

The owner of Allprovide dog food graciously sent me out a sample of his food that he is selling that can be served raw or cooked.

Has anyone looked into this food? The owner mentioned that his product is on the list to be tested by Dog Advisor; however, it will take some time.

[Akari_32]

I’ve never even heard of that brand. Just looked it up, and what concerns me is how cheap it is. Makes me wonder how they source their meat. Could be 4D meat, or something like that. Seems a bit strange for a premade raw diet to be so inexpensive. However, they could just have a really good relationship with local farms and ranches. Who knows for sure, with out actually contacting them and asking where they source their meat from.

That said, dogs don’t need veggies in their diets. They simply lack the ability to fully digest plant matter. It’s not very expensive at all to do a home made, balanced, prey model diet, of 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs. Pretty comparable to the price of a good kibble, and usually a bit cheaper when there are good deals. I use the Raw Dog app for iPhone to help me calculate it all, however, I do not balance every since day like the app does, but over a few days. The dog I’m feeding is so small it would be nearly impossible to give him such a small amount of bone and organ every day lol

Raw helped my yeasty dog a lot. Unfortunately, a good deal of his allergies are environmental as well, so he is not 100%, but is still doing much better on raw than he was on any kibble I ever tried him on. The thing with yeast is you don’t want to give it any fuel, which is carbs. Carbs are found in veggies and plant products, which Allprovide has. It’s best to just make your own diet if your dog have yeast problems. There are several groups on FaceBook that are really great resources for beginners, such as Raw Feeding Community, Prey Model Raw (PMR) for Dogs, and Raw Feeding FRIENDS. You should definitely check them out 🙂

[SdianeM M]

I called and spoke with the owner of the company. He told me that he gets his meat locally from area farmers. I also checked on his website and it states that on there. I have found his prices are much less than what I have seen online other places.

[Jennifer H]

Wow I really love the ingredients in that food. I think it looks really good, but I’d like to know the dry matter % of fat to make sure they aren’t getting most of their meat from fatty cuttings.

I don’t like that it’s in 1lb pouches, as that could be a pain to portion for smaller dogs, but that probably cuts costs for them.

The site kind of sucks though, and I’m having difficulty estimating shipping (it keeps telling me free, which I know can’t be right. Also 50% off your first order holy smokes!)

I have no issue feeding vegetables to my dog so long as they are properly processed. Personally I think farmed meats lack some nutrition, and that it can be quite difficult to fully balance a diet with just meat/bone.

I feed my dog a homemade raw diet, but he’s so small (12lbs) it can be difficult to balance. I’m considering switching to a rotational commercial raw diet with a few RMBs a week.

Would love more info on this product 🙂

[Jennifer H]

Okay, what. Got all the way to the checkout just to see, and it’s still telling me shipping is free?

[Jennifer H]

Somehow I missed the giant “free shipping” sign on the site. Oops.

How can they offer it so cheap though? I would be paying only 15.20 for my first order of 8lbs of raw, grade a dog food with free shipping. Now I’m suspicious.

[aquariangt]

I can’t find the GA on the site. That always wierds me out

[Akari_32]

Jennifer H, exactly! It just doesn’t seem right.

SdianeM M, did they tell you the quality of the meat, though? They could be all buddy-buddy with local farmers, but that doesn’t mean they are getting quality, healthy animals from the farmers. The probably are getting 3/4D livestock for a really low price, which is how they sell it so cheaply. Either that, or its very fatty meat (or a comination of the two).

[Jennifer H]

On the site under ingredients it has beef listed as USDA Select, and the turkey and chicken are listed as USDA Grade A.

I don’t see a listed guaranteed analysis, but under each recipe it has the breakdown of nutrients per 100g (3.5oz).

It says 114 of the 194 calories come from fat…yikes?

I went ahead and bought the 8lb starter box (chicken formula) for 15.20 w/ free shipping. Just to see the quality of the product and the company (plus that’s a seriously good deal.)

[Dori]

I’ve never heard of Allprovide Raw. Think I’ll wait until Dr. Mike and his team review the food and what thoughts they have, if any, on the company itself. I would be interested if, indeed, it is on DFA’s list of foods to be reviewed. I’ll wait.

Aquariangt: There’s no mention of GA on the site and also no mention of AAFCO either. Not that I don’t have foods in rotation that aren’t AAFCO compliant I just find it odd that they don’t even allude to it. I can’t, with comfort, feed a diet that at bare minimum doesn’t have a GA anywhere on the site unless we’re all missing it. Like you said, weirds me out too. Something seems off to me, obviously I could be wrong.

Jennifer H: Please give us an update once you’ve received the food and have fed it for a while. Thanks much!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[Jennifer H]

Dori – I agree that something does seem a bit off. It’s a lot of marketing but not a ton of information about the product itself. The owner does seem rather forthcoming however. I’m just really suspicious of the pricing and the free 2 day shipping. It doesn’t really all add up.

I’ll only feed it occasionally to Toby due being wary of the product, but it would be rather nice if it ends up being an affordable raw food. But small companies make me nervous.

I found this on the ingredients section : “Allprovide is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog or Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for gestation, lactation, growth, maintenance or all life stages as appropriate. See individual product labels for details.”

It also weirds me out that they say the product can also be cooked, but they use ground bone in the product.

Although I did enjoy this on the feeding section “OVER-FEEDING AND OBESITY ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF SERIOUS ILLNESSES.” I should print that and tape it to my neighbors door.

[pugmomsandy]

They have a nutrient analysis for the recipes on the site (includes protein, fat and fiber). I have to chose “full view” on my ipad to see it. As far as using ground bone, I think that is ok to be cooked if it is finely ground. Maverick (Nature’s Kitchen) also uses ground bone powder in it’s cooked recipes.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[Dori]

I should first inform you Jennifer that I am a commercial raw feeder so I wouldn’t cook, warm up or microwave any food I’m feeding my three dogs. But as Sandy has stated, and she would know better than I would, if bones are truly finely ground up then I guess you could cook them or warm them up in your microwave which is basically cooking them. That, to me, basically negates the reason for feeding a commercial or home raw diet.

I didn’t see the mention of AAFCO though I’m glad you did. I found their site a bit time consuming and not particularly easy to get around. I do have a problem in that their food is as inexpensive as it is and that shipping is free. Though I live in Georgia, not anywhere near their manufacturing plant, they say than can FedX my orders free of charge over night. As I said earlier, something just seems off to me but I’m not sure what. I’m going to call the company tomorrow and get some answers to some questions I have and I’ll post back here.

It also concerned me where it was mentioned the amount of fat in the calorie count. I really do need a review of this food from Dr. Mike and his team before I would ever feed it to my dogs.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[Jennifer H]

Dori : Oh yeah, I have no plans to heat it. That seems silly to me to buy a raw food and then cook it. I usually just get his food set up about 30mins before hand to let it come to room temp, although now that it’s heating up I just give it straight out of the fridge.

It wasn’t bolded or anything, just kind of tucked in a random spot on the ingredients section, I pretty much found it by sheer chance haha.

The ONLY thing I can think of is they are keeping prices low to develop a customer base, they claim they have a very successful business in the UK as well (but I could not find more info on that).

I like the ingredients, a lot, although the fat seems rather high. I want to like it, and I can’t wait to hear back after you call tomorrow!

If I get too worried about it I can just toss it, I’m not too upset over a loss of $15 :p I am a little worried over it, but I only plan to feed Toby a small amount at first until we learn more about the company.

I live in Florida, and I got 2 day shipping for free. I’d really like to see how everything is packaged. Still kind of bummed about it being in 1lb bags, not sure how I’m gonna portion that. Thinking about just plopping it in ice cube trays.

The website is a pain to navigate. From what I’m seeing all the recipes have roughly 60-70% of the calories coming from fat.

[Dori]

I’m a high protein, fairly high fat, low carb feeder but that’s just too much fat even for me and I feed a higher fat food than most people would be comfortable with unless we’re just reading something wrong. I have always said that it’s the quality of the fat and proteins in a food not the quantity but without truly knowing the quality of their proteins there’s no way to know the quality of their fats. I wish they gave us the dry matter equivalents also. Math and calculations have never been my strong suit so I don’t know how to do it on my own.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[SdianeM M]

I wish I could post pics of the samples they sent me. I do not know anything about feeding raw, but I’m ready to learn. The food is delivered in vacuum packages of 1 pd size. They have a batch number on the package.

The packages were in a cardboard box, and that was in a styrofoam container. My shipment was delayed by FedEx, so I got it in 3 days – all frozen.

The owner sent me free samples to try, but I need to finish her off so her kibbles first. The owner is very nice and willing to help. He welcomes people to visit his factory in Norcross, GA.

I am anxious to learn more from all of you.

[Jennifer H]

Me either, haha Math has always kind of escaped me. I don’t mind the high fat if I’m just using it as a ‘topper’, but if the fat is as high as I think it is I wouldn’t feed it alone. I hope I’m wrong because the rest of the ingredients are nice.

[MaggiesDad]

Hi, I am one of the owners of Allprovide, and would like to address some of the points made above!
All our foods meet or exceed the AAFCO guidelines for nutrition, and this is stated on the first page of our site. If you look at each page for our products, we give a full nutritional analysis, on an “as fed” basis. We feel this is a more accurate way to understand what you are feeding your dogs.
The Guaranteed Analysis for each product is clearly shown on our boxes. I have noted the comments about this being absent from our site and will ensure this is updated! We do however show a full nutritional breakdown for all products.
We only use human grade, USDA Grade A inspected or Select meats. We never use any intensively farmed animals, and frequently take home the chicken we buy for ourselves! We would never feed our four dogs anything that we wouldn’t eat. Our chicken comes from Koch Foods and Harrison Poultry Inc in case anyone would like to check them out.
We do offer free two day shipping across over 30 States. Our foods are frozen and shipped in polystyrene boxes inside cardboard boxes for extra insulation, and in the summer months we will also use dry ice where appropriate.
We include vegetables in our foods because of the excellent nutrients and minerals they supply, not for the carbohydrates. The veg is ground finely to enable the dogs to access all the goodness, as of course just like humans, they find it difficult to process cellulose without some help breaking it down!
Our products have been developed so that they can be cooked in their 1lb pouches where customers may have concerns about bacteria. The bone pieces are extremely small, and soften during the cooking process, thereby ensuring no hazard. Some people have an issue with the natural pathogens found in raw meat, so even though our food is fully tested to be as safe as possible, we thought this would overcome any concerns someone may have about feeding Allprovide if for example they have to be extra health conscious due to a compromised immune system or having a young family. Personally, here at Allprovide we all believe in the benefits of raw feeding, as opposed to cooked or processed foods, and our dogs won’t eat anything else! (Although our Chihuahua for some reason only known to herself demands that her food is cooked in the morning and raw in the evening!)
Regarding the cost of our product, we are firm believers that quality does not have to be expensive. We source only the best ingredients but keep our overheads to a minimum to keep our costs down. We also do Bulk Buy packs with minimal packaging to pass the savings to our customers who do not want to be deluged with cardboard to recycle! We also set up our factory in Georgia to be close to the source of our ingredients, because Gainsville is the chicken capital of the USA! We never cut corners, and insist that all our ingredients only come from the human food supply chain.
We are very proud of our product and what we do, and anyone is more than welcome to tour our new factory in Norcross, GA
If anyone has any further questions about our products, or ingredients, or simply would like to try some free samples, please feel free to call me, Michael, on 678-585-1606.

[Jennifer H]

Thank you for such an informative post Michael! I am glad to know more about this product and am excited to receive my order when it comes in.

[SdianeM M]

If anyone decides to order, I would appreciate you putting my name down for referring you. From my understanding, we would both benefit … With my Plott Hound, I could use the extra help on cutting her food cost.

[SdianeM M]

Last week was my first time posting since I was just about to take the plunge and begin my pup on a new way of feeding. Yes, I was a bit apprehensive about this change, but with everything I have read, I knew this was the answer to her yeast issues.
I came across a raw food manufactured in Norcross, GA called AllProvide … Being the apprehensive person I am (and after having something horrible happen to my pup before Sadie), I am very protective and cautious. I called this company to ask questions in regards to their food, I expected to hear from customer service and hear the same chat that lacks the personal touch — was I ever surprised when I was able to speak with one of the owners of the company! Not only did he answer all my questions, but he even emailed me with a list of medications that he has tried with his dog. Wow! I could not believe it!
The rest of the weekend I researched and tried to find reviews, etc. When I called them back in regards to reviews, they offered to send me a free sample of their food. Another Wow moment — who does this in this day and time?
I happened to find two other ladies that wanted to try the food too, so we all went into this at the same time and wanted to compare our findings. This is what I have found: from the very first feeding my Sadie started sleeping all night, her yeast issues are clearing up – they are very minimal right now, and she has lost that musty smell! She absolutely loves the food — she has gone from a dog that would pick and eat her kibbles, to a dog that is downright greedy and in love with her food.
I spoke to both of the other ladies who happen to have smaller pups than Sadie, but both have reported that their picky eaters are now anxiously waiting in the kitchen for their food. All have accepted the food very easily, with minimal problems. One had a touch of diarrhea, but the lady was able to overcome the problem very easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Dr. Judy Morgan, DVM – Holistic Vet in regards to Sadie, and explained to her the new diet that I have placed Sadie on. Dr. Morgan has authored a book on making dog food and dog nutrition, but she did tell me that 1/2 of her clients are on the home cooked meals, while the other 1/2 is on a commercial raw food. She said how she recommends 3 different companies to her clients for the raw … I told her about All Provide, and while we were talking she pulled up their website and studied it. She was very impressed with what she saw, and was even more impressed with their prices. At the end of our conversation she told me that she was going to start recommending this company to her patients. That, my people, meant a whole lot to me — I highly respect Dr. Judy Morgan’s decisions.
There are several ways to offset the cost of the food on their website: you can join and earn reward discounts by liking their page, sharing their page, etc. You can also earn discounts by recommending it to your friends … if you recommend the food and they give your name when placing an order, you each get a $10 discount … pretty cool!
I would like to ask that if you decide to try this company that you please consider giving my name as the person that referred you … my 53 lb. fur baby and I would really appreciate it. Looks like Sadie is trying to work overtime on ways to make me feel sorry for her and feed her more! Just put in my name: Diane Miller
Here’s the website for All Provide — http://www.allprovide.com

[losul]

Allprovide looks like (or at least initially) it could be a good, very economical food option 2 feed on occaison. The proteins are mixed in the varieties. Not a big deal for me though, for some might be. The poultry varieties all use beef organs, which is good really, they are more nutritious than chicken organs, probably why they do that. The beef variety uses chicken bones. And all the varieties appear to be high in fat as in the case with so many commercial raw diets. But alot of the numbers don’t numbers seem 2 jive either, and calories per 100grams? The first thing thats fairly easy 2 pick out is the inverted calcium phosphorus ratio in the turkey variety. I think it’s going to fall short in some of the numbers, but trying to reconcile these numbers gives me such a big headache even trying, i give up. Aimee’s is great with processing the numbers, maybe she would see this and lend a hand to it?

Personally, the only variety that I would be interested tin is the puppy blend, but not for a puppy, for my adult. It has 2 major proteins, chicken and beef heart, and the fat levels are lower, or should be.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by losul.

[Dori]

losul: Another concern I would have, as a commercial raw feeder only, is that they do use animals that have been treated with hormones and antibiotics. Their wording is very flowery intimating that antibiotics and hormones are approved by the FDA to control illness, etc. blah, blah, blah. None of the wording makes me comfortable. Though my dogs eating commercial raw diets in rotation are accustomed to high protein, high fat diets; they are accustomed to quality high protein and quality high fats with companies that I have researched and trust. I would not feel comfortable feeding any of my crew this food. One more thought I want to add is the old age adage: If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Possibly if fed by someone that rotates foods as often as I do (I rotate with every meal and I feed twice a day), but I still wouldn’t use it.

I also haven’t found any wording as to free range, grass fed or whatever! That is another thing that I take into account.

[losul]

I agree Dori, it would cost alot more to get the best specifications. I wrote the guy a couple times, and he seemed open and honest. they don’t have a nutritionist , and I wouldn’t consider it to be all balanced. They do use typical grocery store type feedlot beef, like IBP, or something, and also typical grocery store type chicken and turkey, they use all the skin with the poultry, something I never do, I remove it all. it’s not grass finished, or free range. I think the beef would could possibly have used antibiotics, maybe hormones? but I was thinking those were outlawed in chicken? turkey? I’m not sure. I don’t think there would be any worries about 3D or 4D beef in it.

I don’t think there’s so many dog foods that do use free range and grass fed without really busting the wallet for so many, and think it could still be much better than almost any kibble or canned foods, could be a decent option for occaisonal use, or to use for toppers, It wouldn’t be what I would feed as a staple to my dog though, and the fat levels do appear too very high, not as bad in the puppy blend though.

[losul]

Basically I think if they are putting an AAFCO label of nutritional completeness on their foods, i doubt they should be doing so. On the other hand, for me, AAFCO guidelines hold much less relevance for well rounded quality whole, foods, and really become much more relevant the more heavily processed foods. kibbles, etc. I don’t like to many excessive and uneccessary added vitamins/minerals to raw diet.

I’ve not seen guaranteed analysis of their products. The analysis they show is a bit confusing, especially the way they have broken certain items down.

I think I can assume that fat means total fat, carbs mean total carbs, it wasn’t at first plain to me from their analysis. But the total calories still don’t quite reconcile?

Going by what i can here’s the best I come up with on the puppy blend. I hope this comes out looking like a spreadsheet, never has for me before on the review side anyway 🙁

Analysis % %Dry Matter Approximate % calories from?:
——————————————————————————————————-protein 14.02 46.6
fat 7.58 25.2 about 51% ?
carbs 6.57 21.8
water 69.92
ash/other 1.91 6.3
——————————————————————————————————-
100 99.9

Going by those figures, the fat doesn’t look out of line, particularly since the product has added coconut oil and salmon oil, already. I might give consideration feeding the puppy blend (to my adult) on a supplemental basis. I’d be interested in how the veggies, particulary the kale, are processed to make more digestible., and if the mung and adzuki beans are cooked in addition to, or simply just sprouted.

Edit: yeah it didn’t come out looking like a spreadsheet, at all. I’ll have to try doing something about that later.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by losul.

[Dori]

I just went back onto their site and looked over the foods again. I agree with you that the only one that I could see feeding is the puppy formula. But, as I mentioned, I’m uncomfortable not knowing about antibiotics and hormones. For my husband and myself I try to buy organic as often as I can and always make sure that there are no hormones or antibiotics as best I can. Another issue that I have with their other formulas is that I don’t like that they have more than one protein. If a food says it’s beef, I’d like not to see chicken. Same with their other formulas. I think the puppy is the only one that is one protein source. One of my dogs is highly intolerant of all things fowl.

As far as the AAFCO statement, I really don’t pay much attention to it. That they have slapped that statement on so many foods that are so not AAFCO equivalent is appalling. So how can you believe any of it. There’s no one guarding the hen house. I’m a commercial raw feeder and all the companies that I feed are only ones that use human grade ingredients. Now, of course, I don’t know that to be a fact because I’m not an eye witness in their manufacturing facilities but I’m doing my best to take care of the girls as best I can. I’ve attempted to do my due diligence. If I remember correctly AAFCO figures were done for kibble, possibly canned too. I’ve read somewhere that they are suppose to be coming out this year with their new figures a bit more in line with the EU guidelines. They’re still not talking commercial raw foods into account so it’s not going to affect me or my dogs one way or the other. I would possibly be more concerned about the AAFCO statements on dog foods if I fed highly processed dry foods or if I only fed my dogs one food and never rotated. That could lead to a problem which is why we are always trying to get people to understand that they should research and implement rotational feeding. The FDA is their own little story unto itself in my eyes. The way they recommend or abolish products has no merit in my eyes whatsoever.

[losul]

I understand all your concerns Dori. Hey you live down in Georgia, right? Even if you wouldn’t be too interested in their foods personally, that be awesome if if you could tour their facilities sometime, check it out, and let folks know what you find. I guess their on the North side of Atlanta? Your on the south?

Actually the puppy blend is even more mixed protein than the others, 2 main proteins, whole chicken and beef heart. Beef heart is generally very lean, except for a little suet, the harder flaky storage fat, also found in beef kidneys.

[Dori]

Good idea losul. I’ll give them a call and see when I can arrange this. They’re probably about 30 or 45 minute drive away. Would be interesting even though as you say I’m not going to feed their foods I’ve never been taken a tour of any dog food facilities. Thanks for the idea.

I must have not paid close enough attention to the puppy blend. I just wish dog food companies regardless of whether they’re dry, wet or raw would stop mixing everything up. There are so many dogs with food issues at this point that it’s getting harder and harder for some people to feed their food sensitive dogs.

[losul]

That’d really be great Dori, if you could do that! and let everyone know your experience! thnx

[MaggiesDad]

I’m one of the owners of Allprovide, and just wanted to address some of the queries raised about our products!
Firstly, I should state that I am currently away from the office and so do not have all the necessary information to hand regarding percentages, AAFCO guidelines etc. However, should anyone have any specific questions about these (or anything else) please do call us! We are always happy to talk about raw feeding, why we came in to this business and our experiences.
Regarding the mixing of proteins, we do intend to eventually bring out more single protein source foods, but as a new company we felt it best to start with a good all round range of various proteins to ensure that any dog is receiving all it needs from the start. Too many people are put off raw feeding by the fear of not providing enough of everything or supplementation, so one reason we use mixed proteins is to take away this concern. The other reason of course is that we have to meet the AAFCO guidelines for “complete” foods, and as we do not use ground bone we use poultry bone in our beef product to ensure sufficient calcium/phosphorus – and beef bones are extremely hard to grind in any event and can damage our machinery!
We do only use human grade ingredients, and frequently take home for ourselves the chicken we use in the dog food, as well as the vegetables which are restaurant quality. Our meat is all USA raised, and our chickens are hormone free – it is illegal to use hormones in poultry production. The issue of antibiotics is slightly different however. We care for all animals, and the farms we use will only ever give antibiotics to a sick bird, under vet guidance and in strict accordance with regulations. We would not want any animal to suffer illness unnecessarily, and to deprive medical treatment could be seen as inhuman. Any antibiotic is in any event not usually one given to humans, and is out of their system within days so do not make it in to the food chain.
I know someone posted that is something looks too good to be true, it usually is – but please be assured that we doing everything in our power to produce the best food possible for our dogs. We do not cut corners, use only the best ingredients, and are trying to put the convenience back in to raw feeding to encourage more to give it a go. If you read Maggie’s story on our website, you will see that we care passionately about our dogs (I have four, all shapes and sizes) and we want everyone to see the difference raw can make to their dogs!
Anyone is more that welcome to come by the factory (based in Norcross, GA) as we have always had an open door policy – we really do have nothing to hide. You can also buy direct from us there.
If I’ve missed out any concerns, or anyone has more questions please do call us in the office!

[Kristin C]

Since this thread has mentioned it so many times, what does meeting AAFCO guidelines mean? Does this product meet NRC guidelines?

[aimee]

Hi losal,

I took a look at the nutritional information posted and I agree things don’t add up. The company writes that their diets meet or exceed AAFCO guidelines yet using their posted information they do not.

I just looked at a few items. For the puppy diet they report 232 mg Ca/132 kcals which is ~1.75 grams Ca/1000kcals well below AAFCO min of 2.8 Grams/1000 kcals for growth and reproduction. NRC min for growth is 2.0 grams Ca /1000kcals. The diet barely meets AAFCO min for main but sadly this diet is marketed for pups.

Vit E is reported as .73mg alpha toco /132 kcals ~ 5.5mg alpha toco/1000 kcals NRC does not have a min. reported but report adequate at 6.0 mg/1000kcals and recommended at 7.5 mg/1000kcals. So using the reported information this diet is short of NRC rec.allowance.

Vit E is expressed in IU by AAFCO 14.2 IU/1000 kcals which is equivalent to ~ 9.5 mg alpha toco/1000kcals. The diet is short of AAFCO as well.

There is a lot of misinformation on the web site and combined with the nutrient discrepancies in the few I checked I myself would pass on feeding this company’s products.

[losul]

Hello Aimee
I’m glad my pup raising days (and child raising days) are long past 🙂 or I’d have to study all over again to get enough confidence to homemake even then half of a pup’s food properly. I think it’s very important to start off a pup on good foundation to health early for the proper build of health throughout life. And then to think that someone could be using an exclusive food (most of us regulars here on DFA never would ) through gestation, nursing, puppiehood, and adult hood, one should be even more careful. if I did ever aquire another puppy, not at all likely, but I’d definitely want to see that at least some wholesome rawness was a part of the diet, but I’d also want to make certain it was properly formulated, and well rounded with wholesome ingredients, whether formulated by myself or someone else. Getting the macronutrients right at the VERY least, and not dependent to any large degree on any one formulation.

But I also think many raw maunufacturers face a dilemma, do they add a bunch of vitamins/minerals, many of them perhaps needlessly, and some perhaps harmfully,
in order to be able to put that AAFCO label on them? I think AAFCO guidelines were
designed for and are a must for heavily processed foods, the most so being kibble,
and even much more so when low grade, questionable, and inadequate ingredients are
used. I can’t imagine how nutritionally devoid most kibbles would be without rather
heavily added vitamins/minerals.

But, if you take vitamin E for example. It gets used up with time, processing, and
natural peroxidation/oxidation of fats, especially the sensitive, unstable fats.
What vitamin E added when a kibble is made, needs to be sufficient throughout the
manufacturing process, the time that the kibble is stored, and then throughout the
time someone is feeding the bag. Probably if measured at the time a kibble is fed,
it would be a very small fraction left of the original vitamin E included
originally, but hopefully it would still retain at least some smaller amount. I
think the AAFCO guidelines likely allow for these losses.
Whereas a raw, minimally, but properly processed diet, fed immediately, or that is
frozen in well sealed packages is going to retain most of the original vitamin E.
The food/fats is still going to undergo some peroxidation, albeit at a much, much
slower rate. I believe to much vitamin E can be very harmful, just like to much
much of many other added nutrients. Even AAFCO is concerned with overnutrition.
“Maximum levels of intake of some nutrients have been established for the first
time because of concern that overnutrition, rather than undernutrition, is a bigger
problem with many pet foods today.” I’m satisfied that Allprovide has more than
sufficient of vitamin E in that food for MY dog, with the added wheat germ oil.

Another example, I think you know of the importance of vitamin D in regulating
uptake of calcium and some other minerals. Probably you also know the detrimental
effects of to much vitamin D in supplemetation, including possible hypercalcemia.
And we have both seen how many raw foods, both homemade recipes and some
commercially prepared, appear to be “deficient” in vitamin D when going by AAFCO
guidelines.
I found this study interesting, “Some Observations on the Dietary Vitamin D
Requirement of Weanling Pups” and the conclusion; “Dogs fed diets with and without
supplemental cholecalciferol did not differ in growth rate, food consumption or
selected serum or urine values. Likewise,there were no differences between the two
of response to added cholecalcifrol was probably due to adequate levels of calcium
and phosphorus in the base diet and possible synthesis of vitamin D. However, it is
possible that some vitamin D could have been present in one or more of the
ingredients of the basal diet. It has been suggested that dogs may only require
additional vitamin D when there is a mineral deficiency or imbalance in the diet
(11). However, one study reported canine rickets in diets containing 1.2% calcium
and 1% phosphorus (6).It has been reported that carnivores may not possess the
mechanism of vitamin D synthesis in the skin (7). Another study demonstrated that
dogs fed a nonpurified diet without added vitamin D under conditions of total
darkness did not exhibit bone defects (Kealy,unpublished data). Previous reports
did not record the ultraviolet light status of the environment. It is not
understood at this time how the dog acquires sufficient vitamin D for metabolism.
Part of the explanation appears to be related to a very low vitamin D requirement
in the presence of adequate dietary mineral balance.The observation that large
breed dogs raised in indoor-outdoor kennel runs do not require added vitamin D is
important <b>because supplemental vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus are frequently
recommended and used at levels in excess of the nutritional require
ments of the dog, presumably to enhance bone growth and development. The data
reported here suggest that supplementation of nonpurified, commercially available
dog foods with vitamin D may not be necessary.</b>

http://www.2ndchance.info/homemadediet-Kealy1991.pdf

Aimee, I know you’ve expounded about the blatant abuse of some other raw manufacturers in applying the AAFCO label of completeness on their foods, and I largely agree with many of your points, especially when it comes to all life stages/puppy, and especially the macronutrients Ca,P. etc.

I never expected you to approve of this one either. But for us, the puppy blend, good quality balanced proteins and well balanced fats, The meat, bone and beef organs in the proper proportions, and it’s other rounded whole food additions, and it’s 95% of the way there for us. I have a few more questions to ask, but as it stands for now, when my food supply runs down some, I intend to buy some Allprovide puppy blend and use at least as a sometimes meal/topper for my adult. It can replace some of the to expensive canned foods we’ve been using for the second meal of the day. I see it as a step up and less money too. The first meal will still always be raw homemade, or another solid commercial brand raw. If I did see a long list of added synthetic vitamins/minerals, for me, I’d likely just pass on this food. I’d still really appreciate someone (Dori?) to take a visit to them and report back.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by losul.

[Dori]

losul. I’ll be checking out their facility with my husband one day next week. I’ll report back on this thread.

Like your post very much and I can now also see the benefit of using All Provide (after visit to their facility) as a possible replacement periodically for one of the girls meals a day and the other commercial raws as their other meal.

It would be really nice if AAFCO some day would do a profile on commercial raw dog foods. As I doubt very highly that they’ll be doing that anytime soon, I will continue with my rotational feeding and ignore whether a company is really entitled to use “meets AAFCO guidelines” on their product. It doesn’t pertain to commercial raws in any way that I can see. I’ve been feeding commercial raw foods in rotation for the past 3 1/2 years maybe a little longer and all three girls are doing well. Well, except for Hannah who is 15 years 8 months old and spent the first 12 years of her life eating kibble. Bad mama, I didn’t know any better at the time. All things considered for her age and have a couple of forms of cancer she’s doing pretty damn well. Her doctors are still stunned that she remains asymptomatic to either cancer. Her only real issues pertain to geriatric decline. Hard of hearing, night blindness, a little arthritic, stuff like that, that we, even as humans, come down with.

I’m still not thrilled that Allprovide has no issue with the possible inclusion of antibiotics or hormones in their proteins but as I don’t feed anything feathered it may not apply to my situation.

[losul]

Hi Dori, you’ve done an amazing job with your dogs! And great to hear about Hannah still doing so well!

Yeah, I doubt AAFCO will ever do anything positive for the the raw dog food industry, after all AAFCO is so largely geared to and even controlled by the major dog food giants. Be nice though if the raw food manufacturers would join together/invest in some sort of alliance in studies, and maybe their own guidelines. Though I find that doubtful also.

The discussion on the review side reminded me. The owner of Allprovide has gone to lengths to say how they their poultry is human quality, they take it home to eat themselves, etc. And that their beef comes from a USDA inspected plant. I would still need to make sure the beef is USDA inspected and passed, not just inspected. So I still have questions. I’m not crazy at all about feedlot beef anyway or other CAFO animal feeding operations, and I don’t use them in making homemade.

Thanks for your willingness to visiting their facilities!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by losul.

[Dori]

No problem losul about my visiting them. This will be my first time ever visiting and inspecting (?) and inspecting and am also going to make sure that the owner is their to do the tour and answer all my questions otherwise it’s not worth my time and effort. I’m curious about them also.

I don’t know whether your praise about Hannah is due to me or Hannah. Thanks either way.

[losul]

I wish i could go with you Dori, maybe an educating experience regardless of the outcome!

The praise about Hannah is due to both you and Hannah!

[Dori]

Thank you losul. I’m hoping to get something of an education out of the experience. I’ve never done anything like this before seems silly for me to say and admit to since I feed commercial raw diets, but I’m hoping I don’t embarrass myself and break down into tears as I’m also pretty sensitive as to how the dead are handled in making food for others to eat. It’s a bit contrary on my part with my very opposing feelings on this issue. I just can’t save the world, just those in my cars.

Thank you for the compliment earlier. I do my best by my charges. That’s what we’re suppose to do so I do my best.

[SdianeM M]

i saw a huge difference in Sadie once I switched her diet to Allprovide from kibbles. She did great! After a while I switched her to turkey and noticed more yeast/allergy problems returning. Sunday I tried adding beef and I think she’s allergic to beef.

I contacted the owners of Allprovide to ask for their help in Sadie’s issue with the beef. The owners suggested that I keep her on the chicken, they even sent me a complimentary bulk box to help out.

The owners of this company are unbelievable. They have been a blessing to Sadie and I, so willing to help in any possible way. Another example of the goodness of these owners is how they sent me a bottle of shampoo they get from their vet. The shampoo is suppose to help with yeast issues. These guys are the best!

[Dori]

SdianeM M

I’m not sure I understand your post completely. You said that when you switched Sadie to turkey is when you noticed more yeast/allergy problems returning. Then you added beef and now you think she’s allergic to beef. Wouldn’t that have made her allergic to turkey? Did you add the beef to her turkey dinner or you just switched her to beef with no turkey? If it was the turkey dinner the yeast and intolerance issues would take at least a few days to calm down even when switching to a different protein. Your post is a bit confusing, at least to me.

I don’t think I’ve ever read any of your posts on this site and others that you’ve ever mentioned any other products but AllProvide.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Dori.

[SdianeM M]

I’m sorry for the confusion. I switched Sadie from Castor and Pollux kibbles to a raw diet. Allprovide is my first experience with a raw diet. When I first made the switch, I started her on the chicken.

I read how important it is to switch out the proteins, so the second one I added was the turkey. While on the turkey, I found that she started having a repeat of the yeast issues. I added the beef last weekend, but she had a rough night of itching.

Not sure what’s going on with her. Not sure if it’s the proteins, environmental issues, or something added to the food.

The past few days I’ve cooked chicken for her. I’m just not sure of what I’m doing.

[Tuck M]

Dori, Did you ever go inspect the AllProvide plant? I just received their trial box, and I have talked to them twice. They were very friendly. After reading this thread today, I am concerned about the fat content. If you did tour the plant, can you give us feedback?

[Dori]

Hi Tuck M. Sorry for the delay in my response. I just came across your post in my spam box. No, I never went to visit Allprovide because I couldn’t find anything on their site about the general analysis of their food or anything else as to % of protein, fat and carbs. They’re not that far away but I didn’t feel like making the drive for a food that doesn’t have full disclosure on their web site.

[MaggiesDad]

Hi Dori, our website http://www.allprovide.com has just undergone some redevelopment and it is possible that when you checked the information you require was not posted. I can however now confirm that all the products should now display full nutritional breakdown. Obviously if you require any more information please feel free to call us or drop by the factory any time.

[Dori]

Thanks MaggiesDad. I’ll go on the site and check it out.

[Dori]

MaggiesDad I just checked Allprovide’s site and there has been a great improvement to the site. Unfortunately I will not be visiting your manufacturing site nor ordering your food. Reason being that one of my dogs is intolerant of all fowl. The only food I would have been able to order would have been the beef but after reading the ingredients I see that the beef contains turkey.

One of my pet peeves and one that I find incredibly annoying is when companies label their foods and picture on their packaging one protein actually contain more than one protein. Your Beef Formula is listed on your site as only Beef and Vegetables but when you check out the ingredients I found that the second ingredient is turkey. Why not just label it beef, turkey and vegetables. Many many companion animals are allergic, intolerant and/ or sensitive to not only chicken but all fowl. All of your other products are chicken based. Hopefully at some point you’ll add single proteins to your product line. At that point I’ll reconsider Allprovide as a food in rotation at our house.

[MaggiesDad]

Thank you for your feedback Dori – we are looking in to other single source protein foods (our Turkey is currently single source for example) but we have to add turkey to the beef in order to ensure sufficient bone content for the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio. Beef bones are too hard for our machinery, and we will not use pre-ground bone as we can never be sure of the source. We are also currently reviewing our packaging and I appreciate your comments regarding the labeling of the beef – we will certainly look at this again.

[Tuck M]

Hi Dori:

Thanks for the info. I tried the Turkey AllProvide, but the pieces of bone in it were too big and also sharp. Tuck is 10#’s. I had to squeeze it with my fingers to get the bone pieces out. Tuck would not eat it. I have now tried the beef. No big pieces of bone at all. Tuck ate the beef so far. I read AllProvide’s response that they use turkey bone in the beef, so I don’t understand why the Turkey has large bone pieces , while the Beef does not. (I was even wondering if there was bone at all in the beef) Your dog is a sweetie!

[MaggiesDad]

We have recently changed the turkey we use, which has resulted in smaller/fewer bone pieces – in the Turkey Formula, we use 1/2 whole birds and 1/2 wings, and in the Beef Formula we now use just turkey wings to ensure the correct bone content. Our 10 lb Chihuahua Lily has no issue with either food (although her fav is definitely the beef!)

[Andrea L]

Hello, I just found this forum and wanted to add my experience with All Provide. I have 8 dogs all sizes and recently switched to All Provide. I have used A+ Answers but its way to expensive and personally, I did not like it and my dogs prefer other raw over it. I have tried a local raw distributor, ordered from a raw on line store who was pricey and used Blue Ridge Beef mostly with their own label and I tried Blue Ridge Beef. Blue Ridge is a tad cheaper in the beef and chicken than All provide but is not Human Grade A. I found this to be quality and the company is outstanding! I have been to their facility but did not take a tour because I did not feel the need. They bring their dogs to work. You see more dogs than people and they all look stunning! Very healthy and the staff is so friendly and goes over and beyond. When I fed Blue Ridge, it smelled very gamey where the All Provide does not. It looks and smells fresh and smells like food for humans. I am more into feeding raw protein, bone and guts but found that they only put 15% of the veggies,bean and fruit mixture and the rest is meat. My dogs love it! I am looking forward to more protein options in the future. I mostly beef and rotate turkey and some chicken. I have fed goat, venison, duck, tripe and quail. I am very pleased with this product and encourage anyone to go tour it or just try it. I do have to give the majority of my dogs kibble for one meal as I can not afford to feed all raw but wish I could. 4 out of the 8 are getting all raw and the others get half and half. All of my dogs seem healthier and look better eating the raw even for one meal. I am not concerned with grass fed as my dogs weren’t getting that in their premium kibble plus I could never afford it. I feel this quality is better than most choices out there and the price is also very affordable. Give it a try, you might love it like we do!

[Author]

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